Thaila Dixon

Executive Lead (they/them)

BFA Student., Educator & Artist.

My name is Thaila Dixon (They/She), a mixed Black queer artist and child welfare survivor (CWS). As one of the founding members of CCWS, I began in community development and outreach and now serve as Executive Lead. This work is deeply important to me, not only because of my experience as a child welfare survivor but because I feel a duty to serve a community I care about profoundly. As I’ve aged out of care and pursued other things, nothing has been as fulfilling as rebuilding relationships with other child welfare survivors.

Over the past decade, I have worked on research projects related to child protection and family policing and engaged with various systemic advocacy groups, including the provincial child advocate’s office and the Ministry of Children and Youth. However, I realized that systemic advocacy alone was not enough and that my peers and I were often falling through the cracks while waiting for change. This led me to refocus on building collaborative, holistic spaces where child welfare survivors can come as they are and feel a sense of belonging. As survivors of family policing, many of us hold limiting and harmful beliefs about ourselves that prevent us from fostering meaningful relationships and from imagining a life outside of institutionalized violence. I feel a deep motivation to tell our stories in ways that honor our dignity and to strengthen the support networks available for all child welfare survivors.

In my role as Executive Lead, I am reimagining what it means to create lasting support for child welfare survivors. I feel a profound responsibility to honor and build upon our organization’s core principles of transformative justice, trauma-informed practice, and community building.

My goal is to elevate these foundations by expanding our reach and fostering partnerships that strengthen networks for survivors. I am committed to creating a sustainable organization that can be passed down to younger generations, maintaining our principles while embracing the necessary changes and growth that come with achieving long-term impact.

Outside of the work I do with CCWS and community organizing, I enjoy reading, writing, music & film analysis, and engaging with all forms of art, such as painting and storytelling. I was a tattoo artist for 14 years and owned TRU Tattoo Studio, one of Toronto’s few Black-owned & operated, queer- and trans tattoo shops. During that time, I was one of the leading Black artists advocating against colorism and anti-Black racism in the tattoo industry. I facilitated workshops to support artists in better serving Black clients through informed consent, trauma-informed approaches, and practices that combat anti-Black racism.

I’ve since ‘retired’ from tattooing to pursue other passions, including working full-time at CCWS and returning to York University to obtain a BFA in Cinema and Media Arts. My own healing journey and process of unpacking the trauma I experienced in the child welfare system have led me to what matters most to me: imagining and actualizing a fulfilling life rooted in my principles of community building, storytelling, and being of service to my community

Let’s connect!

CCWS operates within a hybrid model without a fixed office; in-person program locations are shared as needed.

(437) 983-2610

thaila@collectiveofcws.ca
info@collectiveofcws.ca